All's Fair in Love and War
by Liss123
Summary: It's a proven fact that weird things happen to demigods on a regular basis. But 'weird' doesn't even begin to cover what's happening to Piper. With the gods desperate to end the greatest war in ancient history, the Trojan war, they enlist the help of a certain daughter of Aphrodite who just happens to be 3000 years into the future to clean up their mess. After HOO Pipchilles Lazel
1. Chapter 1

**Approximately 1200 BCE…**

"This is your fault!" Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, yelled as she pushed herself out of her seat in the throne room of Olympus, rising to her feet. Her voice trembled with barely controlled rage as she glared furiously at the goddess that was seated across from her. Long, loose tendrils of black hair brushed against her back as she strode forward. "All _your_ fault." Her index finger punctured the air with each word and her eyes were alight with grey fire.

In front of Athena, Aphrodite was seated calmly in her throne, one leg crossed over the other. Her hair was curled in large beauty-queen ringlets that were swept over one thin shoulder. The colour flickered rapidly, changing from blonde to auburn to a fiery red. The Goddess of Love raised a thin eyebrow as she regarded Athena with interest. "How so?" Aphrodite asked.

Athena's right eyes twitched in fury. "Are you kidding me?! It was _you_ who promised Helen of Sparta to Paris. It was _you_ who made her fall in love with him. This war started because of _your_ actions." She threw her arms wide in exasperation, sending her white robe flicking out around her.

Aphrodite's cool expression hardened at the Goddesses words, the corners of her mouth tightening. Anger flashed in her ever-changing eyes and her hands, which were lightly clasped together in her lap, curled into fists. "How was I to know that it would start a war?" Aphrodite asked tightly. "It is not as though I can predict these humans' actions."

"Well, we all know that intelligence had never been your strong point," Athena sneered viciously.

To Aphrodite's left, Ares, the God of War, let out a low whistle at the blunt, tactless insult. His eyes flickered repeatedly between the two goddesses, thoroughly entertained. The other immortal beings seated around the room watched on readily, expecting a fight to break out at any moment.

Aphrodite stilled, her gaze turning dangerous as her eyes zeroed in on the goddess in front of her. She rose to her feet and walked forwards with measured steps until she stood directly in front of Athena. Athena rose her chin defiantly, daring Aphrodite to challenge her.

"I don't take kindly to insult," Aphrodite stated coldly. Her eyes scanned Athena up and down, her lips curling into a look of disgust, as if she were staring at a rotting fish, not a goddess. "I find it funny that even the Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy could not predict a war, let alone know how to end it."

Athena's face twisted into a look of murder. If Aphrodite wasn't an immortal goddess, i would have terrified her. Luckily for her, one death glare wasn't about to send her six feet under.

Athena extended an open hand to the side. The air around her fingers sizzled, and with a crack, her legendary spear appeared in her grip, materialising out of thin air. Its metal glinted dangerous in the bright lighting.

Aphrodite regarded the weapon vigilantly for a moment before returning her gaze to Athena's face, which was pinched tightly. "Try to attack me and I will order you to skewer yourself," the goddess warned, referring to her ability to charmspeak. "Won't that be amusing?"

Gripping her spear tightly, Athena moved the weapon until the tip was pointed at the base of the Goddess of Love's throat. "Just you try."

"Enough!" Zeus ordered. His powerful, commanding voice filled the throne room, shaking the ground and hurting the ears of all listening. It conveyed the suffocating, unquestionable power that only a ruler of Olympus could hold.

The two goddesses flinched at the sudden noise, stilling instantly. Casting one final furious look at each other, they slowly broke apart, and turned to face the front of the throne room where Zeus was seated. He glared down on them in annoyance. His grey hair was long, as was his beard. Even seated, every aspect of the god radiated power, from his broad, strong body to his stormy eyes that have seen the beginning of time.

"We have bigger issues to deal with without the two of you fighting like children," he said. Zeus' eyes landed on Aphrodite. His face was hard and angry, causing her to tense. "It were your actions that lead to this war."

Aphrodite felt her anger instantly flare again. She struggled to hold it in check, purposely keeping her face blank. Unlike with Athena, she would never dare challenge Zeus. He would easily throw her over the side of Mount Olympus without batting an eyelash. Beside her, Athena's lips twisted up into a self-righteous smirk. Aphrodite wanted nothing more than to wipe it off her smug face, and quite brutally.

Unaware of Aphrodite's malicious thought towards the other goddess, Zeus continued talking. "If it weren't for your careless promises of love, we wouldn't be in this predicament. This war has grown tiresome. It needs to come to the end…and soon."

"But how?" Apollo said, speaking up for the first time. All heads in the room swivelled around to face the blonde-haired god. "It seems to be the million dollar question, doesn't it? How do we actually end the battle of Troy? Our previous attempts have all failed miserably." Apollo sighed tiredly, ten years of constant conflict taking its toll on him. His once vibrant blue eyes were reduced to a dull grey colour and lines had starred to appear around the corner of his eyes from both stress and exhaustion.

"And now Achilles has chosen to join the war," Poseidon said gravely as he stared at the ground, clearly deep in though. He pursed his lips and rubbed his hand over his unshaven jaw.

"With Achilles now fighting for the Greeks, there is no way in Hades that Agamemnon will withdraw his troops," Hera stated, voicing what all the other gods already knew to be true. "The boy is what he plans to use to finally breach the walls of Troy."

All of the gods lapsed into silence, each lost to their own thought. Although her pride would never allow her to admit it, Aphrodite knew that there was some truth behind the gods' words when they said that her actions lead to starting the war. She kept her lips shut tightly though because, like the other gods in the room, she had a hard time admitting her mistakes. Now, not only did she have the other gods on her back, but she also had to come up with an idea to end the war that she supposedly started. As if the Goddess of Love didn't have enough problems at the moment with her having to worry about all of the Greek and Trojan widows who had lost their husbands during the war, and all other matters of the heart.

And now this spear-wielding Greek soldier, Achilles, had decided to join the fight. It was just what the goddess needed: some hotshot who was apparently destined to change the outcome of the war. Aphrodite wished that he would just bugger off back to wherever he had come from. It would make her job a heck of a lot easier if Achilles had stayed back home, found a little woman, married her, and lived happily ever after. Instead, the meathead had decided to go charging into battle, desperate for fame and glory.

_If only Achilles had been a hopeless romantic who valued love over the grandeur of war_, Aphrodite thought dryly. _Maybe then he would have chosen to stay home…_

Wait!

The goddesses' head snapped up as the idea sparked in her mind.

What if Achilles was to fall in love, or at least become distracted? What if someone, some _girl_, was able to change the soldier's main focus from the war to something else…something more romantic?

"I have a plan!" Aphrodite exclaimed, her loud voice shattering the thoughtful silence. All of the gods' eyes fell on her and she straightened her stance almost subconsciously, standing tall and proud. "So, it seems to be that Achilles is the key to the Greeks continuing to fight. Well, what if Achilles decided to withdraw from battle?"

Ares raised a dark eyebrow at the goddess. "What on Earth would compel him to do that?" he asked.

"Love," Aphrodite stated simply.

The God of War let out a short laugh, clearly believing Aphrodite's answer to be ludacris. The flames in his eyes burned with amusement as he regarded her. "There is no way that Achilles, 'the greatest soldier in Greece', would ever refuse to fight because of _love_," he said, flippantly disregarding Aphrodite's idea. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard since I found out that one son of Apollo died by accidently shooting himself with his own arrow."

Apollo's eyes narrowed as he regarded Ares, annoyed that his son's humiliating death was once again brought up in conversation. Would he ever live it down? Seeing that the gods were immortal, he decided maybe not.

Aphrodite's face hardened. Her temper flared as the God of War instantly deemed her idea to be incredibly stupid and even laughable. "You seem to be overlooking the greatest weakness of all, Ares," she said tightly. "Love can turn even the smartest man into a blubbering idiot." She turned to face Zeus who was regarding her with curiosity. "Isn't it only fitting that a war which started because of love, ends because of it?"

Unlike Ares, Zeus appeared to be actually considering her idea. Well, at least he wasn't outright laughing at her. "It would be very poetic, but gods aren't allowed to directly interfere in the affairs of humans and demigods," he finally said.

"I know," Aphrodite agreed, nodding. "But I won't be."

Beside her, Athena snorted in a very ungodlike fashion. "How do you plan to seduce him if you aren't with him?" she asked derisively. She shot the Goddess of Love a look that said: _You really are as dumb as you look, aren't you? _

Well, Athena," Aphrodite replied coolly, shooting the other goddess a look of complete disdain, "if you had let me finish instead of so _rudely_ interrupting, you would know that I don't plan on seducing Achilles myself."

Athena raised a thin eyebrow. "Then who do you suppose will?" she inquired.

"A daughter of mine will be more than capable of doing the job."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Artemis interrupted. Aphrodite turned to look at her, slightly annoyed at being questioned yet again. "Achilles isn't exactly easy to be around. All of the women in the Greek camp are terrified of him. Besides, women bore him. His personality allows him to walk all over them."

Aphrodite had to admit that Artemis had a point. Fortunately for Aphrodite, she had already thought of this. If Achilles found girls boring, Aphrodite would have to make sure to spice things up.

"I never said that it would be a daughter from this time period," she said, shocking the gods.

** Please leave a review and tell me what you think? Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Present Day…**

"Leo, I'm going to kill you!" Piper McLean yelled as her finger pulled at the mass of hair and metal that was knotted together just above her right ear.

Leo's latest flying invention - a small helicopter-like contraption that was no larger than the average demigod's palm - had crashed into her head and had quickly become tangled, its small blades winding itself around her chocolate brown hair. She winced as she blindly tried to free the contraption. The miniature helicopter only managed to become more firmly trapped. The engine of the machine made a small wheezing noise in her ear before clunking out.

The other demigod rushed over, shooting Piper an apologetic look. "Sorry, I thought that I had finally managed to get all of the kinks out," he said, eyeing the contraption thoughtfully.

Leo pushed his curly black mop of hair out of his face with an oil-stained hand. The blue jeans and orange tee-shirts that he regularly wore were constantly covered in grease and grime, and tonight was no exception. Even at seventeen, he was still only five foot six, although Piper was sure that his unruly hair gave him at least an extra two inches in height.

"Not yet," Piper said, not unkindly.

"I can build a flying war ship but I can't get a stupid toy helicopter to work," Leo grumbled, annoyed and frustrated. He stepped forward and pushed Piper's fingers out of the way and began to try free his contraption. It was quite difficult, considering that her braided hair had easily knotted.

After a few minutes, and with only a few yelps from Piper when Leo tugged on a piece of hair too harshly, the little machine was finally free. It laid motionless and crumpled in Leo's open palm. With an unsatisfied sigh, he shoved the pieces of metal into one of the pockets of his magical tool belt.

Piper couldn't recall a time where the belt wasn't safely fastened around his skinny waist. She wondered if he even went to bed with it on. It wouldn't surprise her.

"Sorry about that," he apologised again, giving her a rueful smile.

"It's okay." Piper's hands reached up to touch the right side of her head which was slightly tender from all of the pulling and yanking. "As long as I don't have a bald patch we're fine."

Leo pretended to carefully inspect her hair for chunks that were missing. "Nope, you're all good."

"Good for what?" Jason asked as he walked over to the two.

The fire that sat behind him in the center of the cabins outlined his tall, strong figure in a golden glow, highlighting his short blonde hair. His bright blue eyes regarded the two of them warmly, his handsome face open and relaxed. Just like every time Piper saw him, her heart beat faster and her stomach did a little happy dance. He was almost so gorgeous it hurt…and he was all hers.

Over a year and a half ago when the Earth Mother, Gaia, had been defeated and Olympus had been saved once again, all of the campers had been faced with a choice: they could either live at New Rome or Camp Half-Blood. It was no surprise to anyone when Percy and Annabeth had decided chosen to move to the Roman camp where they could live together as well as finally attend college.

Piper, on the other hand, didn't want to leave. Camp Half-Blood was her home; this was where her family was. She had also been terrified that Jason would chose to return to Camp Jupiter. When he told her that he wanted to stay, Piper could have wept with joy. Along with the two of them and Leo, Hazel and Frank had also chosen to live at Camp Half-Blood.

"Just checking Pipes for early signs of hair loss," Leo quipped, causing Piper to grin and roll her eyes.

Jason raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his best friend's answer. "I heard that the Fates knit terrific wigs."

Piper swatted at him arm jokingly. "I'm not going bald. Leo's latest invention just tried to rip my hair out," she said, sending Leo a mock glare.

Leo raised his hands up, palms out. "In my defence, I yelled out for everyone to duck. You just weren't quick enough."

Jason laughed. "Last time you yelled 'duck', you burnt Samantha Elling's hair off," he pointed out. "Chiron was so pissed at you."

"Oh, come on," Leo groaned, covering his face with his hands. He vividly remembered the three hour long lecture the centaur had given him about the safe handling of blow torches after the incident. Also, he had been banned from the forge and Bunker 9 for three weeks as punishment. Three _whole_ weeks. Leo would have rather cut his left hand off. The wait had been pure agony. "That was ages ago."

"It was last month," Piper said.

"This morning, I found a snake in my undies drawer. A snake! Any guesses who might have put it there?" he asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

"She's still upset," Piper tried to reason, referring to the still murderous Samantha.

"She broke my nose afterwards. We're even," Leo complained. His pride was still slightly wounded at having been beat up by a girl, and a tiny one at that. That daughter of Ares may be a little thing but she sure packed one hell of a punch. Samantha also had a temper that revelled her father's.

"Not to her, I'm afraid. Because of you, she now has the same haircut as Jason. _I_ would have broken your nose." Piper said to her dense friend. She loved Leo, she really did, but sometimes he could be completely clueless, especially when it came to the opposite sex. He would find it much easier to chat-up one of his machines than an actual girl.

"Hey!" both Jason and Leo exclaimed simultaneously.

"There's nothing wrong with my haircut," Jason grumbled.

"You'd really hit me?" Leo asked, taken aback.

Piper couldn't help but laugh at both of their shocked and slightly offended faces. "First off," she started, looking at her boyfriend, "Jason, I love your hair…just not on a girl. And, Leo, I imagine that you would want to deck me too if I set fire to Bunker 9."

Leo's eyebrows pulled together as he thought about what she was saying. He imagined Piper going on a murderous rampage in Bunker 9 with the blow torch he had accidently used on Samantha. He pictured Piper igniting the priceless blueprints that he had discovered, the thousands of ideas and inventions that lied scattered around the room.

"You're right," he concluded seriously. "I would want to murder you."

Piper cracked a smile, feeling triumphant at getting her point across. "Exactly. What you did to Sam is the equivalent of her burner down Bunker 9 to you."

An amused formed on Jason's lips as he looked at Leo. His eyes glinted with mischief. "I'm pretty sure that Samantha likes you," he said.

Leo's dark eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Jason couldn't be serious! "What?! There is no was in Hades that this psycho chick likes me. She hates me!"

Piper's grin rivalled her boyfriend's. "You know what they say: treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen."

"Treat 'em mean?" he repeated in shock. "She's trying to kill me!"

His two closest friends only continued to grin wickedly at him.

Leo shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. His brain hurt from thinking about girls and their confusing tendencies. Why couldn't they be simple like machines? Leo understood machines; he didn't, however, understand girls. He often wished that they came with an instruction manual…or at least an off switch. It would make life much simpler. He could simply push 'pause', the girl would freeze, and Leo would have time to figure out what to say or do next. But this creation continued to not exist. He mentally put it on the top of his 'To Invent' list.

"Look -"

Jason's words were cut off when a deafening _bang_ sounded directly behind the trio, causing them all to jump in shock. They whirled around quickly, along with all of the other camper who were standing around, talking after dinner. Pink clouds surrounded them like a thick fog, engulfing all of the surrounding cabins.

The scent of overpowering perfume hit Leo smack-bang in the face. His eyes watered and the back of his throat became dry. He had always hated the smell. Call him crazy, but he would have much preferred the newcomer to smell like engine fuel than vanilla and pearl extract.

As the rosy vapour began to thin and vanish, retreating along the ground, his eyes widened as he saw a tall woman standing in the middle of the bonfire. The tongues of fire licked at her skin but she stood unmoving, clearly unaffected by the blistering heat. Her dark brown hair fell to her thin waist in spiralling curls and her golden eyes scanned the crowd of campers. A gold wreath wrested on top of her head, catching the light of the flames. The dark colour of her skin contrasted greatly against her white ancient-Greek-style robe. She was poised and beautiful in an otherworldly way.

Leo recognised her instantly: it was Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love.

_What in Hades is she doing at Camp Half-Blood, _Leo thought.

Her piercing eyes finally stilled. For a moment, Leo thought that the Goddess was staring at him. That was, until she spoke.

"Piper McLean," she called out, her musical voice echoing around the camp.

Beside Leo, the daughter of Aphrodite froze instantly, her eyes widening in shock. Jason quickly moved closer to his girlfriend, standing slightly in front of her, resembling an old school knight in shining army.

"Mother," Piper breathed out, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Aphrodite walked forward, gracefully stepping out of the bonfire, her eyes focused on her daughter. Black ash dirtied her sandal-clad feet. Other than that, the goddess appeared unaffected by the fire she had appeared in only moments ago. The other camper moved out of the way, making a clear path for the goddess. There expressions ranged from surprise to confusion to downright astonishment.

Piper sidestepped around Jason as Aphrodite approached the trio. She felt silly being shielded from the goddess. It was her mother after all, and it wasn't as though Aphrodite couldn't see her.

"What are you doing here, Mum?" she asked, confused. Her eyebrows furrowed together.

Aphrodite hadn't appeared to Piper in over thirteen months. There had been no Iris messages; no visiting her in her dreams; no stopping by the camp on her way past. There had been no contact whatsoever between the mother and daughter. It wasn't only Piper that the goddess had been apparently avoiding. Aphrodite had managed to distance herself from all of her children.

Although she would never admit it, Piper was quietly thankful. Nine times out of ten, the gods appearing to their children only ensured one thing: trouble. And Piper had had enough of that to last her a lifetime.

The Goddess of Love raised a manicured eyebrow. "You don't want me here?" she asked. Her words were innocent but Piper could see the underlying warning in them. Aphrodite's hard gaze said: _If you show me one ounce of disrespect, child, you will regret it._

Piper flushed. "Sorry, that came out wrong," she rushed on to say, not wishing to anger her mother. "It's just a surprise to see you."

"Hmm," was all Aphrodite replied, her lips pursing.

She looked around at the campers who in turn stared at her in shock. It had been a long time since a God had visited Camp Half-Blood. With the war against Gaia over and Olympus safe once again, there had been no need. Everything had lapsed back into normality…or as normal as things could ever be when demigods were involved.

Aphrodite's eyes travelled back to her daughter. "I need to talk," she looked between the three young demigods, her expression serious, "with all of you."

Her grave features had Piper's heart sinking. For the first time since the war, her mother looked tired and stressed. Although her hair and make-up was done perfectly and she was dressed beautifully, there was something about the goddess that seemed off. At least to Piper.

Piper nodded nervously. She could feel the eyes of the other campers on her and it made her feel uncomfortable, like she had a large spotlight shining down on her. "Okay."

Her mother nodded curtly. She looked like she was going to say something but cut herself off, casting a quick glance at the demigods that were all within earshot. "I'll see you at the Big House," she said instead.

Without warning, the goddess exploded in a blast of pink scented clouds. Piper, Jason and Leo all jumped back in shock, coughing as the strong fumes tickled their noses and burnt their sinuses.

Leo waved his hand in front of his face, swatting away the vapours. "What the heck was that all about?"

Jason glanced worriedly at Piper, a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. "I don't know, but I don't think it's anything good."

"When is it ever with the gods," Piper muttered, feeling slightly uneasy after the grim look her mother had cast her.

Leo huffed and ran a hand though his inky-black curls, causing them to stand up wildly at the front. It made him look even more like the mad inventor that he was. "Why do the gods only stop by when they have bad news? Why can't they just pop in and say 'Hey, Son, great job with that invention' or 'I really liked the way you beheaded that monster last week'? But no! It is always to tell us that the world is ending or that we need to go on some impossible quest that will most likely get us all killed! It's rubbish!"

Overhead, lightning illuminate the sky with a violent _crack_ and thunder rumbled loudly. Leo instantly froze and paled visibly. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he realised his mistake at voicing his thoughts aloud in the open.

"Jeez, Leo," Jason admonished, glancing up at the sky quickly, as though he was afraid that he was going to be electrocuted at any moment. "Could you say that any louder?"

Leo thought that Jason shouldn't be the one worried. Lightning couldn't exactly harm him, being the son of Jupiter and all.

He looked up to the sky apologetically. "Sorry, Zeus," Leo mumbled quickly, terrified that the god was about to smite him for his tactless comments. It wasn't exactly wise to anger the gods, especially when one was waiting for them in the Big House.

"Come on," Piper said anxiously.

She wasn't in any rush to see her mother. In fact, she would rather escape into the woods and face whatever monster may be lurking in there than have to hear the bad news that Aphrodite obviously had for her. But, considering that Leo have just managed to piss off the ruler of Olympus, she decided that going to her mother was safer than standing out in the open. Her mum wasn't about to electrocute her or her friends. At least she didn't think so.

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think of the story so far! And as for the person who asked me if I had already uploaded this: yes, I did but it accidentally got deleted. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Present Day…**

A handful of minutes later, the trio each took a seat at the Ping-Pong table, glancing nervously at each other. Aphrodite sat at the head of the table, her posture ramrod straight. The goddess looked as regal and poised as ever, despite the light bags under her eyes.

To Piper's left, Leo summoned a few metal nuts and a pipe cleaner from his magic tool belt, and began to fiddle. His hands moved and twisted quickly in his restless state. His case of the fidgets didn't help to calm her nerves. If anything, they wounded her up more.

Chiron padded in through the door. Piper looked up at him, hoping that his presence would help calm the butterflies that danced in her stomach. Instead, the centaur's brown eyes were clouded with worry. His face was pale and grim. His expression wordlessly told Piper that bad news was its way. His hooves clicked noisily against the timbre floor as he walked over to stand beside the goddess.

A dozen possible ghastly situations flashed before her eyes, each more horrifying than the next. What could possibly be so bad that even Chiron looked scared?

Her fingers tapped rapidly against her thigh, as though she were playing the piano. Underneath the table, Jason reached over the grabbed her hand, stilling her fingers. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and Piper tried to take some comfort out of the small gesture.

"What's going on, Mum," Piper asked, unable to wait any longer.

Aphrodite drew in a long, heavy breath. She appeared to be mentally preparing herself. For what, Piper didn't know. "I'm sending you back in time," the goddess stated bluntly, her expression matter-of-fact. She could have just as easily said, _The weather is lovely, isn't it? _

"What?!" Piper and Jason exclaimed in unison.

The nuts and bolts that Leo had been fiddling with tumbled to the floor. Leo blushed sheepishly when the Goddess of Love's eyes focussed on him. He quickly swooped them back up, burying them in one of the pockets of his utility belt.

"You can't," Jason demanded. The goddesses' words had instantly had the panic button inside his head blaring. This was his girlfriend the goddess was talking about! No one was sending her away anywhere on his watch - let alone back into the past.

Piper's mouth gaped open in shock as she stared at her mother. Up until now, she had thought that the woman was relatively sane…or as sane as a god could be. Obviously she had been disillusioned.

Leo, on the other hand, was just plain confused. Who was going where?

"Close your mouth, Piper. It is quite unattractive," Aphrodite scolded.

Piper snapped her jaw shut with a click. She stared at her mother, disbelief written all over her face. The woman had to be joking, right? She couldn't possibly be serious. Piper almost expected Mr D to burst through the room and yell, _Surprise, we got you!_

Maybe the gods were filming a new show for Hephaestus TV called 'So You Think You Can Punk Your Kids' Piper was sure that it would be a hit on Olympus.

Aphrodite turned to look at Jason. She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Did I forget to mention that you are going too?"

Now it was Jason's turn to gape blankly at the goddess.

Blowing a gust of air out of her mouth, Aphrodite turned to Chiron. "Are you raising these children to be goldfish?" she asked.

"Not that I'm aware off," he replied, looking at the young demigods curiously.

"Let me guess," Leo said, speaking up for the first time since he hadentered the room. "I'm going too."

"No, you're not," Aphrodite answered shortly, barely casting his a glance as she directed her attention back on the other two demigods.

"Oh."

Leo's face fell as he cast his eyes downwards, starting at the surface of the Ping-Pong table. He could help but feel a little hurt at her easy brushoff. But then again, he was used to being seen as the less import of the three. To be fair, his closest friends were Jason Grace and Piper McLean.

Sure, he could dismember an engine in thirteen seconds flat and roast marshmallows with his pinkie finger, but Jason could conjure lighting and fly for Pete's sake! And Piper could charmspeak with the best of them. He didn't resent them for it - it wasn't their fault - but it wasn't nice constantly standing in someone's shadow either.

In fact, it kind of sucked.

"But, Mum," Piper said, confusion furrowing her eyebrows. "Why do you want to send us back in time? Is that even possible?"

"Cabin 9 and I have tried to make a time machine plenty of times and we've never been able to get it to work," Leo said, interrupting.

He briefly recalled their most recent attempt. Instead of transporting themselves to the middle-ages, the children of Hephaestus had only managed to blow up the forge and melt half of their equipment. Jason had thankfully been close by and had created a massive downpour to extinguish the blaze. After that incident, Chiron had banned the construction of time machines, deeming them too dangerous. Leo agreed. They were lucky that no one had been killed in the inferno.

"I'm a goddess. Of course it's possible for me." Aphrodite looked slightly offended. "And before I tell you why I am sending you back, there is something that you should know: I'm not your mother…at least not yet."

For a moment, Piper thought that her head was going to explode from all of the crazy things that she had been told in the last minute. First, she and Jason were supposedly getting sent back in time. And now her mother wasn't even her mother _yet_. Piper didn't even know what that meant.

"I've come from the past," the goddess continued. "From the time of the Trojan War."

Her words had three sets of eyes bugging out. Chiron seemed to be the only one in the room who didn't look stunned. He stood silently, watching on with a grim expression, his arms folded across his chest.

"W-what," Piper stuttered, positive that she had misheard.

Surely her mum couldn't be serious. She must be joking…or delusional. Maybe Aphrodite had finally fallen off her godly rocker. It would be the most reasonable answer.

But Piper had to admit that the goddess didn't look insane. Her eyes weren't bloodshot and wild; she wasn't muttering gibberish to herself, nor was she talking to people that Piper couldn't see. Her face was calm and controlled, as was the rest of her appearance. Her hands rested in her lap, loosely clasped together and her shoulders were relaxed.

Nope, Aphrodite looked one hundred percent sane and reasonable.

"So the Trojan War is happening…like, now?" Jason asked slowly, trying to comprehend what Aphrodite was saying.

Aphrodite nodded. "For me, it is happening right now as we speak. Soldiers are fighting; men are falling; widows are grieving; the battlefield of Troy is turning red with blood-" Aphrodite's eyes glazed over as she talked, as if she was seeing the scenes that she was describing. Her voice took on a far-away, almost dream-like tone - "so much suffering…so much death."

Piper felt slightly nauseous as vivid images, much like the ones that her mother had described, flashed behind her eyes. The Trojan War resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of people - both soldiers and innocents. It had been both horrific and tragic.

For ten years, the two sides - the Greeks and the Trojans - had fought relentlessly, and all because one woman couldn't stay faithful. The famous Helen of Troy could have easily prevent the mass slaughtering but had chosen love over the lives of hundreds of thousands.

Piper didn't understand how she could be so selfish in her pursuit of love. How could it even be classified as _love_ when innocents had to die in order for Helen to be with her man? It was sick to think that the woman had sat and watched from behind the impenetrable walls of Troy while men fought and died because of her decisions.

If Piper had been Priam, King of Troy during the Trojan War, she would have thrown Helen out on her backside at first glance, knowing that the woman had practically just signed everybody's death certificates.

Aphrodite blinked repeated, as though she was trying to clear her mind of the horrible scenes. "Anyway," she said, "the war refuses to come to an end, even after almost ten years of fighting. It's taking its toll on me - on all of the gods."

Piper nodded, unsure of where her mum was heading with this. The growing feeling of dread in her stomach told her that, whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

"The other gods seem to think that it is _my_ fault that the war started." Anger and insult were clear in Aphrodite's voice. Her lips twisted down into a scowl.

"But, isn't it?" Jason pointed out without thinking. "You were the one that made Helen fall in love with the Paris."

Aphrodite's eyes narrowed on the son of Zeus, and she sat forwards in her seat. "All I did was give Helen to Paris of Troy. I promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, after all. I didn't declare war. That was Menelaus' doing. I can't control the mortals' actions." Her lips pursed as she swept her eyes over to Piper. "But the other gods have a different opinion. They say that since_ I _started the war, it is my duty to end it. And that's where you come in."

Piper's eyes widened drastically. She would have been less shocked if her mother hurdled over the Ping-Pong table and socked her in the face. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Aphrodite said, reclining back in her chair. She watched her daughter with a calm, matter-of-fact expression that completely contradicted the insane situation. "With my help, you are going to end the war."

"What? You can't be serious," Piper exclaimed. Jason had stiffened completely beside her. His hand that was holding hers tightened drastically, almost reaching the point of becoming painful.

"As serious as a heart attack," her mother replied, her face showing as much emotion as a chalkboard.

She looked to Chiron desperately, her panic rising. "Please tell me that you two are joking," she begged.

The centaur shook his head sadly, as though he had already tried to convince the goddess not to go through with her plan earlier and had failed. "Aphrodite has made her decision."

Piper's wild eyes flickered rapidly between her activities director and mother. Her heart jackhammered against her ribcage. "But, can't you just charmspeak the Greeks into withdrawing their troops? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Aphrodite sighed loudly, like she had thought of this idea many times before. "If only I could," she said wistfully. "It would make things much simpler. But gods aren't allowed to directly interfere with mortals." She ran her fingers through her long hair, pushing it back. "That is why I need you, Piper. The only way that the Greeks would possibly considering withdrawing from the war is if their best soldier refused to fight. I need you to go back and ensure that this happens."

"Who is their greatest soldier?" Piper asked nervously, already knowing the answer. A feeling of alarm tightened her chest as she pictured the fearsome demigod in her mind's eyes.

"Achilles," Leo muttered softly, almost like he was talking to himself. Everyone's eyes turned to look at him at once. He flushed under everyone's unwavering gaze. "What, I know stuff. I'm not just a pretty face."

Jason managed to let out a short snort. "Whatever, buddy," he said as he smirked slightly, thankful for the break in tension, however minute it was. Turning his attention back to Aphrodite he asked: "What do I have to do with this? You said that I would be going back also."

"Yes," Aphrodite said. "I will need you there in case things turn…ugly."

"Ugly?" Jason said warily, not liking the sound of that in the slightest.

"It isn't the most understanding time period in history. They are more of the _kill first, ask questions later_ type of soldiers. And Achilles isn't the most…civil demigod," she replied, choosing her words carefully.

Aphrodite wanted him there to protect Piper if things turned hostile, which, by the sounds of it, there was a great chance of. That didn't sit well with him in the slightest. Although it was inevitable, them being demigods and all, he hated seeing Piper fight; he worried about her getting hurt constantly. He _certainly _didn't want her being thrust into the biggest war in Greek history. He would rather take on the whole damn army singlehandedly than have her there, fighting by his side.

"How are they going to get into the camp, anyway?" Leo asked. "They can't exactly walk up and say: _Hey, we're demigods from the future. Let us into your camp and we'll make sure that you're heading home of the first tide out._ It might raise just a bit of suspicion."

Aphrodite raised a delicate eyebrow, amused. Her eyes changed colour rapidly. One second they were a deep blue and the next they were gold, almost the same hue as Hazel's eyes. "No, Leo Valdez. We can't have them getting killed on the first day, now, can we?"

"No," Leo agreed, resting his elbows on the Ping-Pong table as he leaned forward. "I much prefer my friends with all their limbs attached."

"Indeed," the goddess said. "That is exactly why I have the perfect cover story. Piper will be posing as my chosen prophetess whose destiny is to guide the Greeks. Jason will act as her guardian." She looked pointedly at her daughter. "Play your cards right and, not only will you be welcome in the camp, but the soldiers will defend you with their lives. The ancient Greeks really did cherish their prophets and oracles."

Piper nodded, trying to look confident, although she felt anything but. Her mother didn't only want to send her into a hostile camp, but also wanted her to_ lie_ to thousands of soldiers. There was nothing that could go wrong with that plan…

To make matters worse, Piper didn't have the slightest idea of how to be a prophet. She had seen Rachel Elizabeth Dare's body taken over by the Oracle of Delphi numerous times. Even now, it still managed to freak Piper out. Did Aphrodite expect Piper to act like Rachel and pretend to become possessed? Would she even be able to? She couldn't exactly force green smoke to come out of her mouth at will.

Aphrodite saw the hesitancy on her daughter's face. "Don't stress," she said, waving her hand absently as though it was no big deal. "All you need to do is spurt some lines about how the gods look favourably upon the Greeks and whatnot. Put a bit of charmspeak behind your words and you will have them eating out of the palm of your hand. It'll be easy - fun, even."

Piper doubted that trying to fool the greatest army of ancient times would be 'fun'. It would most likely be incredibly dangerous and result in her getting herself or Jason killed, or at least ran through with a spear.

_Yeah…fun_, Piper thought to herself dryly.

"Despite this," Aphrodite continued. "Your main focus is on getting Achilles to withdraw from the fight. Without him on their side, the Greeks will begin to perish. They'll be forced to withdraw before they have no men left to fight."

"But how do I get him to stop fighting?" Piper asked, perplexed. "I can't imagine him listening to me, even if I ask him nicely."

Aphrodite looked Piper directly in the eyes with a level stare, her face serious and focused. "I think you know _exactly_ how. You are my daughter, after all."

Piper felt the blood slowly drain from her face as the meaning behind her mother's words sunk in. Disbelief and horror caused her eyes to widen. Jason' eyes burnt holes into the side of her head, but she didn't dare look at him. She couldn't…not after realising what her mother wanted her to do.

* * *

**Please leave review and tell me what you think. Your feedback means so much! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Present Day…**

Aphrodite pushed her chair back and stood. The wooden legs scraped along the along the floor loudly, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. Her eyes scanned the three shocked demigods in from of her. "Piper and Jason, we don't have time to waste. Go gather your weapons. I'll take care of everything else." Her hand flicked towards the open doorway, gesturing for them to leave.

Piper nodded and stood, still shell-shocked. Jason followed, looking just as dazed. Casting Leo nervous, apprehensive glances, they headed towards the door.

As they passed Chiron, the centaur reached out and grasped Piper's arm. Concern etched deep lines into his face, making him suddenly appear ten years older. "Whatever you do," he said quickly, "don't lower your guard around Achilles, and never, under any circumstances, approach him in battle."

Piper's eyebrows knitted together. "Why not?" she asked slowly, almost as though she was afraid of being given an answer.

Chiron's lips pulled together into a thin, pale line. "Because, he enters an almost berserker-like state." The centaur's eyes glazed as ancient memories flooded his mind. He saw the ancient warrior's green eyes turn pitch black as a feral snarl formed on his lips. He remembered the way Achilles had fought his way through hundreds of men, leaving only dead, dismembered bodies behind him. Panic clawed its way into Chiron's stomach. Achilles was the one and only demigod that he had ever feared. "When he enters this state, nothing or no one stands a chance against him. He's unstoppable - uncontrollable. He'll kill anyone that stands in his way. I have trained thousands of demigods since him, and I've never seen anything like it again."

"Is it because he bathed in the River Styx, like Percy?" Jason asked.

Chiron shook his head almost sadly. "No, it isn't. I'm not sure why it happens." He blew out a heavy just of air. It sounded as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "When he becomes…possessed, it is like he is in a trance. Fury controls him. He becoming a ruthless killing machine. When you see him like this, don't think-just run. Run away as fast as you can." His grip tightened on Piper's arm to the point of where it almost became painful. His eyes begged them to understand. "Promise me."

Piper's insides turned to ice. It was as though an invisible hand had reached inside her stomach and started yanking on her intestines. She had heard legends of warriors in ancient times that fought in an uncontrollable rage, becoming crazed during combat. They were near impossible to control and even harder to kill. Combine that with being bathed in the River Styx, and Achilles was appearing to be the perfect Greek warrior.

"I promise," she assured Chiron.

The hand gripping her arm loosened, falling to Chiron's side. He nodded sharply and stepped back, allowing them to exit the room. Piper could feel his eyes burning worried holes into her back until they were out of sight.

She gripped Jason's hand tightly. His palm was sweaty, just like her own. He was just as nervous although, unlike her, he tried to keep his emotions hidden and appear calm and ready. Though, on the inside, he was feeling anything but.

* * *

Back at the Ping-Pong table, Leo restlessly fidgeted in his seat as he watched his friends leave. His hands clenched and unclenched as they gripped his tool belt. Aphrodite's eyes landed on him once again. He wanted to be anywhere but here…anywhere but under the goddess' scrutinizing gaze. She seemed to be mentally picking him apart.

Aphrodite walked towards Leo slowly until she loomed over his seat. Her gold eyes unnerved him. The goddess looked too much like Hazel for comfort. Unlike Hazel, she smelt sickeningly sweet. Her overpowering perfume made Leo recall a memory that he thought he had long forgotten…

_He was six years old and the show was in town. For the first time, his mum had decided to take him. Young Leo was ecstatic. He remembered tugging on his mum's hand profusely as he dragged them through the crowd, his eyes as wide as saucers as he stared up in amazement at the rides and side stalls around him. Screams filled the starless night sky as people were flung around like ragdolls of unsafe-looking rides. In front of them, a teenage boy stumbled off a right called The Terror. The stranger took no more than three steps forward before doubling over, throwing up two corndogs and a large slushy. _

_Leo had instantly thought that the place was marvellous. _

_It wasn't before long that they passed a stand that caught Leo's eyes. Behind a table, an acne covered man was creating pink clouds out of nothing more than sugar, a large steel rotating bowl and a stick. Leo watched him work, flabbergasted. _

_It's magic, he thought to himself. _

_ What shocked him more was the fact the people were actually eating the stuff. How was this possible? His young mind was racing at a million miles an hour as he tried to comprehend what was happening in front of him._

_His mother chuckled at his expression before walking forward and pulling out her purse. "One, thanks," she had said to the magic man behind the stall. _

_He nodded, grabbed a skewer, and stick it in the turning bowl. Leo's mouth dropped open as he watched the pink web twist itself about the stick. He looked completely mesmerised. After a moment, the man handed the giant cloud to his mother, who in turn handed it to him._

_"What is it?" Leo asked, still gaping._

_"Cotton candy," his mother said. "Go ahead. Try it."_

_Leo looked at the cloud apprehensively, as though it was about to lash out and bite him. Slowly, he reached out and pulled a piece off. He was surprised when it stuck to his fingers. His mother gave him an amused look as he hesitantly put it in his mouth. He let out a surprised breath as the cotton candy instantly dissolved on his tongue. It was absolutely delicious, and within less than a minute, Leo had managed to eat it all. _

_He looked up at him mum, his eyes wide and hopeful. Licking the remaining sugar off his fingertips, he asked, "Can I have another one?" _

_His mum nodded, smiling. _

_For the rest of the night, she had let him eat sugary sweet after sugary sweet. He quickly lost count of how many sticks of cotton candy he had ingested. Somewhere around what Leo thought was the eighth, his bloated belly gurgled and groaned. He couldn't eat another bite. As he stared at the half-eaten cloud in front of him, bile rose in his throat. Without warning, he threw up everything ounce of junk food that he had eaten in the last hour - and it was quite a substantial amount. Ever since that day, he hadn't been able to go near the sweet without feeling slightly nauseas. _

He shook his head, blinking the memory away. Leo wondered if Aphrodite would take offence if he told her that her sweet-smelling perfume reminded him of the time he had binged on rubbish and thrown up. He cast her a quick glance. _Most likely_, Leo decided.

Aphrodite held out her hand, palm open. A large leather draw-string pouch materialized out of thin air. The tanned pelt was wrinkled and weathered-and quite ugly. Leo thought that it looked like something his grandmother would have love. The goddess handedit to him.

Crinkling his nose as he looked down at the unfashionably bag, he said, "Um, thanks…I think." She didn't expect him to use it, did she? It was hideous! The other campers would surely pay Leo out if the saw him walking around with the ancient-looking leather pouch attached to his belt. Talk about embarrassing. Leo had a reputation for being crazy, not fashion impaired.

Aphrodite couldn't help but roll her eyes at the demigod's expression. "Don't look so horrified. I'm not going to make you wear it, child."

"Oh." Leo couldn't but look relieved. He ran his thumb over the battered, wrinkled leather. "So…why did you give it to me?" The goddess raised a delicate eyebrow, her lips pursed together. "Not that I don't appreciate it," he rushed on to say.

Aphrodite's face changed into an expression that said, _that's better. _Once again, she held out her hand, palm facing the ceiling. A second hideous pouch appeared out of thin air.

_How many of these things does she have? _Leo thought.

"Now," Aphrodite began. She pulled open the draw-string mouth of the bag. Reaching up into her hair, she felt around until she found a bobby pin. She plucked it out and held it in front of Leo's face. "Anything that you put in this bag -" Aphrodite placed the bobby pin onto the bag in her hand and pulled the string tight, sealing it -"appears in the other bag." She nodded at the pouch Leo was clutching. "Open it."

He did as the goddess ordered, and sure enough, when his fingers felt around in the bag, they landed on the cool surface of the bobby pin. He looked up at her in confusion. "What is the point of this?"

Aphrodite smiled at him, pleased that he has asked. "This second bag will be given to Piper. That way, even when she and Jason are back in time, you will still be able to communicate and help them. Anything they need from this time period, you will be able to send them."

Leo studied the bag in his hand, tugging and pulling. He only found one fault in the design. "But what if they wanted me to send something larger, like a sword? It won't fit."

Instead of becoming annoyed by Leo's comments, Aphrodite gave a small chuckle. "Of course I've already thought of that. That's why I had a special friend of mine make a few adjustments." Aphrodite opened the bag once again. Instead of putting another bobby pin in, she shoved her arm into the bag. Leo watched in shock her whole arm was swallowed with up to her elbow. The bag didn't change in size.

Leo cried out as Aphrodite's missing hand shot out of his own bag, nearly hitting him in the face. Her fingers gave a little wave. He looked between the goddess and her separated arms. "What the gods?!"

A smug grin formed on Aphrodite's face as she withdrew her arm from the bag. The fingers slowly slunk back into Leo's pouch before disappearing from view. "You see," she said. "I've thought of everything."

* * *

**Hope you liked this next chapter. Feel free to leave a review :)**


End file.
